Method for avoiding the appearance of baldness

ABSTRACT

A method for enabling a balding person to avoid the appearance of baldness comprising the steps of locating sutures at strategic locations on the person&#39;&#39;s scalp, securing a scalp net to said sutures with said scalp net having synthetic fibres which simulate hair secured to the portions of the net which cover balding areas on the scalp. The scalp net has openings where it covers a person&#39;&#39;s natural hair which extends through said openings.

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Primary Examiner-Channing L. Pace 1 N k r O Y w e N [22] Filed: Sept. 24, 1971 [57] ABSTRACT A method for enabling a balding person to avoid the 21 Appl. No.: 183,452

p net red to the portions of the net which cover balding areas on the scalp. The scalp net has openings where it covers a person's natural hair which extends through said openings.

appearance of baldness comprising the steps of locating sutures at strategic locations on the persons scalp, securing a scalp net to said sutures with said seal having synthetic fibres which simulate hair secu H03 8N5 212 ndB 9% MM" m I N N n E b T n m "6 .RP A" C S m WWW mT un RS h e .UC D E a "6 T Us l 1 W C IM .w UMF HUM N 555 5 132/053 132/053 2 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures 3,444,865 5/1969 DeVita...... 3,470,889 10/1969 BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention Method and apparatus for avoiding the appearance of baldness 2. Description of the Prior Art From time immemorial, many people have been concerned about baldness, i.e. the loss of hair from their scalp. The problem is of great concern to many men as is evidenced by the recent efforts to enable balding men to avoid the appearance of baldness.

It is, of course, to be appreciated that everyone loses a certain amount of hair each day which is replaced as new hair grows in. Baldness goes beyond this and is a decrease in the amount of hair a person has with the passage of time. The most common type of baldness is called pattern baldness. Men with pattern baldness usually have receding hairlines and the common horseshoe fringe while baldness in women usually results in thinning over a wider area. While women suffer from the problems of baldness they rarely become billiard ball" bald.

Usually, bald spots on a persons scalp are not completely hairless but contain small openings having hair follicles. The openings shrink until the only hair produced is short, colorless and fine.

Studies have shown that diseases have caused the follicles to stop functioning, but it is believed that diseases account for only five percent of all baldness. Some baldness is temporary and is caused by temporary illness, drugs, etc.

Many people have tried to prevent baldness by treating their hair with so called medications." However, this is not an effective way to prevent baldness since the medications only come in contact with the hair shaft (the part of the hair that is visible and rises from the scalp) and which is dead. The living portion of the hair (the hair bulbs) is beneath the scalp and cannot be treated by applying medications externally to the scalp.

Many men have tried to overcome the appearance of baldness by wearing wigs, hairpieces, etc. However, this is not an altogether effective solution to the problem of preventing the appearance of baldness since many times the wig, hairpiece, etc. unintentionally comes off causing embarrassment to the wearer thereof. Additionally, most wigs are intended to cover a substantial portion of a persons scalp and ifa person has live hair in said portion the wig covers this hair retarding further growth thereof.

Another technique known in the prior art for avoiding the appearance of baldness is to transplant hair from the portion of a persons scalp where the growth is fullest to the bald area of the scalp. However, this is an extremely time consuming procedure and thus is not altogether desirable.

it is readily clear that any system for preventing the appearance of baldness must be designed so as to insure against the unexpected exposure of bald areas to avoid embarrassment. Additionally, it is preferred that any system which a person utilizes to avoid the appearance of baldness not inhibit the growth of any hair of the person on which the system is used may have.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide an improved method and apparatus for enabling a balding person to avoid the appearance of baldness. i

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a method and apparatus for enabling a balding person to avoid the appearance of baldness, said method and apparatus avoiding the drawbacks heretofore noted with prior art attempts in this field.

Briefly, in accordance with the present invention, the foregoing as well as other objects are achieved by providing a scalp net which is contoured to snugly fit on a persons scalp. In a preferred form of the present invention the scalp net is substantially elliptical in cross section and includes a mesh. The person on whom the present invention is practiced has six sutures sewn into his scalp. Preferably the sutures are sewn on the sides of the persons scalp at the front, middle and rear thereof. In order to avoid any problems with rejection by the persons scalp, the sutures should be made of polypropylene. Normally, the sutures are placed on the persons scalp by a physician observing generally accepted medical techniques. The scalp net is secured to the sutures and this can be done by tying a portion of said net to each of the six sutures. The portions of the net which are located above growing hair on the persons scalp are removed so that the hair'extends therethrough. Mesh remains over the bald portions of the persons scalp and synthetic fibres which simulate the appearance of natural hair and which are the same color as the persons hair are secured to the mesh. If desired, in lieu of the synthetic fibres or in combination therewith, natural hair can be secured to the mesh. The natural and/or synthetic hair is then combed so as to cover the periphery of the scalp net and to give the person the appearance of having a natural head of hair.

In another aspect of the present invention clips are provided for securing a wig to a persons natural hair so that the same will not inadvertently come off.

Other objects of the invention will be pointed out hereinafter.

The invention accordingly consists in the features of construction, combination of elements and arrangement of parts which will be exemplified in the device hereinafter described and of which the scope of application will be indicated in the appended claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is an exploded view showing how the present invention is utilized;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken substantially along the line 2-2 of FIG. ll;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken substantially along the line 3--3 of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 4 is a sectional view showing an alternate embodiment of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS In- FIG. ll of the drawings the scalp 10 of a male who is balding is shown. The scalp, as is common with male pattern baldness, includes areas having growth and other areas which are bald. According to the present invention six sutures 12 are sewn into the persons scalp and preferably three sutures are located on each side of the scalp with one at the front, one at the middle and one at the rear. It has been found that excellent results can be obtained with the sutures being made of polypropylene. One product that is on the market and which can be suitably used is identified by the trademark prolene," manufactured by Ethicon, Inc. The placing of the sutures 12 in the persons scalp is done by a physician who utilizes accepted surgical techniques for accomplishing this. Specifically, the surgeon will apply an antiseptic to the portion of the persons scalp where the sutures are to be placed and maintain the antiseptic condition until the sutures have been completely placed in their proper locations. It is to be appreciated that some of the sutures may be located on completely bald portions of the persons scalp while other sutures may be located in regions where there is growth.

A scalp net 14 is provided and includes mesh which extends for the cross section thereof. Scalp net 14 has the same configuration as the uppermost portion of the persons head so as to be able to be snugly secured thereto and preferably is elliptical in plan. Prior to the scalp net being secured to the persons scalp the persons scalp is carefully examined to determine those areas that have growth and those areas that do not. For each area of the persons scalp which has growth the corresponding mesh portion of the scalp net is removed which can be done by using conventional cutting techniques using scissors, etc. Wefts of synthetic fibres which simulate the appearance of the persons hair are secured to the mesh portions of the scalp net and are selected to be of a length corresponding to the hair style the person is to wear. It is to be appreciated that while the use of synthetic fibres has been disclosed herein that a combination of synthetic fibres and/or natural hair can be used if desired without departing from the spirit or scope of the present invention.

The preferred method of securing the synthetic fibres to the scalp net consists of forming wefts of said fibres and attaching said wefts to the different mesh portions of the net. Of course, if desired, other techniques for securing the synthetic fibres to the mesh of the scalp net can be used. The next step in the practice of the present invention is to secure the net to the persons scalp. First, the net is placed on top of the persons scalp with the persons hair being extended through the open areas of the net. The means of securing the hair net to the sutures consists of placing a short strand of securing material such as thread through the suture and a corresponding portion of the scalp net and tightening said strand so the scalp net is tightly secured to the persons scalp. This step is performed for each of the sutures so that the scalp net is secured at a number of points to the persons scalp.

The persons natural hair and the synthetic fibres secured to the scalp net are then brushed covering the sutures, the periphery of the scalp net and giving the person utilizing the same the appearance of having a full head of natural hair.

By having a scalp net contoured to match the shape of the persons head the same can be snugly secured to the persons head. Additionally, by attaching synthetic fibres to those portions of the net which correspond to the bald areas on a persons scalp the persons remaining growth is not covered, is exposed to the air and can continue to grow.

It should be noted that by using polypropylene for the sutures the persons body will not reject the same and the scalp net can be tightly secured to the persons scalp.

If desired, a net can be secured to the persons scalp which includes a mesh but which is not configured to correspond to the shape of a persons head. However, this technique of utilizing the principles of the present invention is not as efficacious as using a scalp net.

In FIG. 4 of the drawings a still further embodiment of the present invention is shown and consists of utilizing a plurality of hair clips 16. In this embodiment of the present invention a scalp net is not utilized and a wig is provided. A plurality of clips 16 are utilized for clipping selected portions of the wig to the persons natural hair at strategically located positions. In this embodiment of the present invention the wig can be easily removed by merely opening the clips and in the same manner the wig can be easily secured to the persons scalp via the use of the clips.

It should be noted that, if desired, in lieu of using polypropylene for the sutures the sutures can be made from Teflon coated stainless steel or any other material which the body does not reject. In this regard, clamps may be used to secure the scalp net to the sutures since it is difficult to manipulate the stainless steel sutures. Preferably the clamps are made from aluminum.

It thus will be seen that there is provided a method and apparatus for avoiding the appearance of baldness which achieves the various objects of the invention and which is well adapted to meet the conditions of practical use.

As various possible embodiments might be made of the above invention, and as various changes might be made in the embodiment above set forth, it is to be understood that all matter herein described or shown in the accompanying drawings is to be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

Having thus described the invention there is claimed as new and desired to be secured by letters Patent:

1. A method for enabling a balding person to avoid the appearance of baldness comprising the steps of surgically inserting into the scalp separate, independent and spaced-apart polypropylene sutures at appropriate locations on the front, middle and rear of the left side and right side of the persons scalp, placing on the persons scalp a scalp net having openings extending therethrough and shaped to match the configuration of the person's scalp, anchoring the scalp net to the polypropylene sutures, extending the persons natural hair beneath the scalp net through the openings therein and securing to those portions of the scalp net above the persons scalp which are devoid of hair material having the appearance of hair so that the person has the appearance of a full head of hair.

2. A method for enabling a balding person to avoid the appearance of baldness comprising the steps of surgically inserting into the scalp separate, independent and spaced-apart surtures having a synthetic plastic outer surface at appropriate locations on the front, middle and rear of the left side and right side of the persons scalp, placing on the persons sclap a scalp net having openings extending therethrough and shaped to match the configuration of the persons scalp, anchoring the sclap net to the sutures, extending the persons natural hair beneath the scalp net through the opening therein and securing to those portions of the scalp net above the persons scalp which are devoid of hair material having the appearance of hair so that the person has theappearance of a full head of hair.

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1. A method for enabling a balding person to avoid the appearance of baldness comprising the steps of surgically inserting into the scalp separate, independent and spaced-apart polypropylene sutures at appropriate locations on the front, middle and rear of the left side and right side of the person''s scalp, placing on the person''s scalp a scalp net having openings extending therethrough and shaped to match the configuration of the person''s scalp, anchoring the scalp net to the polypropylene sutures, extending the person''s natural hair beneath the scalp net through the openings therein and securing to those portions of the scalp net above the person''s scalp which are devoid of hair material having the appearance of hair so that the person has the appearance of a full head of hair.
 2. A method for enabling a balding person to avoid the appearance of baldness comprising the steps of surgically inserting into the scalp separate, independent and spaced-apart surtures having a synthetic plastic outer surface at appropriate locations on the front, middle and rear of the left side and right side of the person''s scalp, placing on the person''s sclap a scalp net having openings extending therethrough and shaped to match the configuration of the person''s scalp, anchoring the sclap net to the sutures, extending the person''s natural hair beneath the scalp net through the opening therein and securing to those portions of the scalp net above the person''s scalp which are devoid of hair material having the appearance of hair so that the person has the appearance of a full head of hair. 